EXCLUSIVE | Stephen Thompson on Darren Till’s UFC 228 title shot: “It’s crazy!”

Former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson suffered a controversial decision loss to Darren Till this past May in Liverpool.

The loss did not sit well with “Wonderboy”, especially due to the fact that Darren Till missed weight by a large margin (3.5 pounds) for their marquee fight.

In a surprise turn of events, Darren Till is now slated to get a welterweight title shot against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 on September 8 in Dallas, Texas.

“The Gorilla” received the title shot after current UFC interim champion Colby Covington announced that he was unable to compete at the September pay-per-view event due a recent nasal surgery.

In a recent interview with BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor, Stephen Thompson shared his thoughts on Darren Till receiving a title shot after failing to make weight in two of his past four attempts.

“I was very disappointed to see the news,” stated Thompson in frustration. “I mean first off this is a title fight right? How do you get a title shot if you couldn’t even make the non-title weight in your last fight? It just seems like the UFC is rewarding a guy for being unprofessional. You signed a contract agreeing to fight on these terms at this particular weight class. You should be monitoring your weight during the entire camp and fore filling your obligations as a professional. Till didn’t do that. Then after missing weight he is allowed to move up the ranks and receive a title shot? It’s crazy.”

Thompson continued:

“To be honest with you, I think it is the UFC’s fault that so many fighters are missing weight because there are no really repercussions when you do. I mean yeah Darren Till had to give me a percentage of his purse, but he was able to move up the rankings and is now given a title shot so he will be making way way more this time around. Title fights are where you make the big money and now after receiving a small slap on the wrist for missing weight in Liverpool, Darren Till has one.”